Our history

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More than 50 years ago, residents on the Indianapolis East side desired health care close to their homes. Financial contributions poured in from businesses and private citizens to fund the idea of a neighborhood hospital. Volunteers conducted house-to-house campaigns. It was dubbed “the swiftest, most effective fund-raising campaign of our time.” Today Community serves our neighbors who proudly say, “I helped build this hospital.”

What evolved into today’s Community Health Network started with the opening of Community Hospital on 16th Street and Ritter Avenue in 1956. Since that time, Community has grown into a leading not-for-profit health system offering convenient access to expert physicians, advanced treatments and leading-edge technology, with more than 200 sites of care focused on enhancing the health and well-being of residents across central Indiana.

Building on that success, in June 1985, Community Hospital North opened in the growing corner of Indianapolis just off 86th Street and I-69. Then in September 1989, University Heights Hospital joined the network as Community Hospital South serving the Indianapolis South Side.

The 1990s brought high-tech innovation coupled with patient convenience with the new construction for outpatient surgery facilities called Indiana Surgery Centers, now known as Community Surgery Centers—located adjacent to each hospital and in Noblesville. In September 1996, Community Hospital Anderson became a part of Community's growing family of hospitals. This facility had deep roots as a health care leader serving Madison County since it opened in 1962, and by coincidence was named Community Hospital since its founding.

To meet the growing cardiac needs of central Indiana residents, Community’s leadership, together with nationally respected and recognized central Indiana cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons, designed and built The Indiana Heart Hospital, now known as Community Heart and Vascular Hospital. Opened in February 2003, the all-digital hospital continues to be a world recognized model for heart care and advanced technology.

Since that time, community has grown by collaborating and integrating with physicians, building mutually beneficial relationships with other caregivers, and pioneering promising new care models. Today, we're continuing to chart new courses in coordinated, connected and integrated care systems, seeking to deliver the most effective and efficient care possible while strengthening our organization.

Community has evolved throughout its more than 50 years of existence, adapting to meet the constantly changing needs of the communities it serves with a commitment to exceptional experiences that put patients and their families first. We're venturing forward with a mandate to better serve those who entrust their care to us, satisfying them with state-of-the-art care, convenient access, and quality outcomes—and surprising them with a passionate focus on improving their health, enhancing their wellness and boosting their quality of life.